McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI against the Rangers on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Both of his hits were of the opposite field variety, a good sign, though he whiffed his other three trips to the plate. In fact, his current strikeout rate (23.3 percent) is much higher than his career rate (17.6 percent) and his .811 OPS is the lowest in eight seasons.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a run and two strikeouts against Arizona on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

The 2013 NL MVP has hit safely in six of his last seven games, and has gone 10-of-30 over that span. The talented center fielder has yet to gone in one of his patented streaks, but he seems to be heating up on May to the tune of a .294 average.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen has had a disappointing campaign by his lofty standards, but he's still very much a fantasy asset. While he hasn't been a threat on the base paths this season, the 2013 NL MVP should still score plenty of runs as an integral part of a top-five Pirates offense.

McCutchen is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen will get a rare day off as the Pirates go up against Colorado right-hander Tyler Chatwood. Starling Marte will get the nod in center field, while Matt Joyce starts in right and Gregory Polanco starts in left.

McCutchen is 5-for-12 with a double and two homers against Wednesday starter Julio Teheran.

EDGE Analysis

The center fielder is slashing .327/.365/.571 in his last 11 games and yet still hasn't really gone on one of his patented hot streaks. McCutchen hopes to continue his success Wednesday against Teheran.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBI in Tuesday's 12-9 win over the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen was one of seven Pirates to finish with multiple hits on the evening. After a mediocre April, McCutchen is beginning to settle in nicely in May, hitting 18-for-60 (.300 average) to go with three homers, eight RBI and 10 runs over 14 games this month.

McCutchen extended his batting streak to eight games Saturday, going 1-for-4 with a double against the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

He's hitting .382 in 34 at-bats over his hot streak, which includes four doubles and two dingers. McCutchen might struggle a little bit Sunday. He has just two singles in 16 career at-bats against starter Jon Lester.

McCutchen was 3-for-5 with a run scored and a two-run home run in a losing effort against the Cubs on Friday afternoon.

EDGE Analysis

The home run, his eighth of the season, came with two outs in the ninth inning, proving to be too little, too late. However, McCutchen, who got off to a very sluggish start, now has his average up to a steadily improving .261, and is showing clear signs of breaking out. An offensive explosion could very well be imminent for the extremely talented centerfielder.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Wednesday against the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

He's rounding into form after dealing with an early slump, with hits in six consecutive games lifting his average from .221 to .248 and his OPS back over the .800 mark. By the time the dust settles on this season, McCutchen should be sporting the numbers we've come to expect from him -- 20-plus homers and an average over .300 with plenty of counting stats. However, his steal totals have declined in each of the last two seasons, and as he approaches his 30th birthday (it's in October), McCutchen seems not to be a reliable source of speed anymore.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 Sunday and narrowly missed hitting a homer when the ball went just foul. "You look for a day like today to be a tipping point in the right direction for Andrew," manager Clint Hurdle told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "Very aggressive swings today. Saw 28 pitches in the at-bats he had. He looked aggressive, very confident."

EDGE Analysis

Prior to Sunday, McCutchen had slashed .188/.278/.344 in his last 36 plate appearances since a three-homer game in Colorado. He'll get three games in Cincinnati and three contests at Wrigley Field in Week 6 to help work his way out of his funk.